Ice anchor



Nov. 17, 1964 s. c. LATTA, JR 3,157,256

ICE ANCHOR Filed Aug- 25. 1961 INVENTOR J'A/Vl/[Z f! [47734 Wa/M/ UnitedStates Patent ICE ANCHOR Samuel 6. Latte, J12, Philadelphia, Pa.,assignor, by mesne I The present invention relates to securing means,and more particularly to a new and novel device for securing a guy cableor similar staying connection in ice or frozen terrain.

The installation of lofty structures such as antenna towers insub-freezing locations have met with serious complications due todifficulties and problems which arise in tying guy connections to ice orfrozen ground. The problem and difiiculties are especially acute inregions, such as the Arctic or Antarctic, where long periods of extremecold temperatures maintain the ice and ground in deeply and solidlyfrozen conditions.

It is therefore an object of the present invention to overcome and tosolve the difiiculties and problems referred to above by providing adevice constituting an ice anchor adapted to secure a guy cable or thelike for staynormally imposed on such a device by the guyed structure.

It is also an object of the invention to provide a device of the kindmentioned above which, while characterized by the simplicity of itsconstruction, possesses unique means which promotes positive and rigidattachment to a frozen surface, minimizing dislodgement under loadstransmitted from the erected structure to the device through the guyconnection.

Other and more specific objects and characteristic features of theinvention have to do with the provision of an ice anchor which can beproduced economically, which is compact and capable of being handledconveniently for easy placement in operative position, and which ishighly effective and reliable in use.

Toward achievement of these objects and features, the invention in itspreferred embodiment employs a plurality of simple plate membersconstructed and arranged to constitute a rugged unit having means foreffecting mounting of the unit with increased holdability in solid ice.Specifically, the plate members incorporated in the device of theinvention are interconnected rigidly at areas spaced inwardly from theirmarginal edges, and each plate member is so configured as to provide itsmarginal edge portion with an inwardly directed hooking ledge or shelfadapted to lie and to extend in a solid ice mass to anchor said deviceto said ice mass.

The nature of the invention, and the above as well as other objects andfeatures thereof, will be understood more fully from the followingdescription based on the accompanying drawing in which:

FIGURE 1 is a prespective view illustrating a preferred form of iceanchor embodying the principles of the present invention;

FIGURE 2 is a horizontal cross-sectional view of the device illustratedin FIGURE 1, looking in the direction represented by arrows 2-2 in saidFIGURE 1; and

FIGURE 3 is a bottom plan view, on a reduced scale, of the deviceillustrated in FIGURES 1 and 2.

Having more particular reference to the drawing, the illustrated iceanchor consists of an ice-engaging section It and a guy-securing section12.

The ice-engaging section 10 comprises a base assembly constituted by anouter member 14 and an inner member 15. These members are constructed ofrigid metal plates, such as steel disks, and are, respectively, providedwith "ice downwardly rounded marginal portions 16 and 18 so that each ofsaid members has the general form of an in verted pan with inturnededges. As shown, inner pan member 15 is nested completely within theconfines of the outer pan member 14 and, for that purpose as isindicated in FIGURES 2 and 3, the depth D and radius R of said innermember are less than the depth D and the radius R of said outer member.

The inner and smaller pan member 15 is disposed concentrically withrespect to the outer and larger pan member 14, and these members arerigidly interconnected by means of suitable fastening elements, such asrivets 19, which pass transversely through said members. These fasteningelements or rivets are arranged adjacent to and about registeringopenings 20 and 21 formed in the interconnected disk members 14 and 15,respectively, said openings being disposed in the central portion ofsaid disk members.

The guy-securing section 12 includes a spider bracket 22 which isrigidly attached as by means of rivets 23 to the inverted pan-shapedouter member 14, and which has a raised platform 24 disposed above thetop surface 25 of said outer member and located generally to coincidewith the registering central openings 20 and 21 in said member. Theplatform 24 has an axially located aperture 26 to receive the shank 27of a guy-attaching eye-bolt 28, the latter being provided with a flaringflange 29 abutting the upper surface 30 of said platform. The eye-bolt28 is secured to the platform 24 by means of a tightening nut 32 and alocking nut 33 on the eye-bolt shank 27, a metal washer 3 beinginterposed between said locking nut and the underside 35 of saidplatform to insure proper retention of said bolt thereon.

The above described anchor when used in regions where sub-freezingtemperatures prevail, can be secured with extreme rigidity to solidlyfrozen ice or snow by placing the device upon a levelled surface of theice or snow and filling the inverted pan members 14-15 with Water pouredthrough the registering central openings 20 and 21 thereof. This waterfreezes and integrates with said ice or snow to provide a solid bondbetween the anchor and surface upon which it rests. The anchor can alsobe secured by submerging it in a shallow pool of Water created bymelting an area of frozen surface. When this pool of water refreezeswithin and about the anchor, there is established a firm connectionbetween said anchor and the supporting frozen surface.

As seen in the drawing, series of venting holes 36 and perforations 37are provided in the inverted pan members 14 and 15. As more clearly seenin FIGURE 3, the vent ing holes 36 and perforations 37 are arranged incircles which are concentric with the registering openings 20 and 21.These venting holes and perforations insure proper distribution andfreezing of the Water throughout said members so as to permit the escapeof air from the interior of said members as the water fills the same andas the ice forms therein. It will be appreciated that once the water hasfrozen solidly within the concentric members 14 and 15, the inturnededge portions 16 and 18 thereof become securely embedded in and firmlygrip the frozen ice mass, thus rigidly securing the anchor to the icesurface. In operation, the inner and smaller pan member 15 reinforcesthe central area of the outer and larger pan member 14, and said innermember cooperates with said outer member to resist load stresses appliedto the anchor when a guy cable or similar staying means is attached tothe eye-bolt 28.

If desired, an anchor installed in one location can readily be removedfrom that location and reinstalled in another location. For that purposeit is only necessary to melt the ice, for instance by means of a blowtorch, so

=2 as to free the anchor for reinstallation as previously described.

Although a preferred embodiment has been shown and described, it will beappreciated that the invention is not limited to specific structures ofthis embodiment but embraces such changes and variations as come withinthe scope of the subjoined claims.

What I claim is:

1. An ice-anchor comprising a first disk of rigid metal having apredetermined diameter and provided with an inturned marginal edgeportion to define a larger panshaped member, a second disk of rigidmetal having a diameter less than said first disk and provided with aninturned marginal edge portion to define a smaller panshaped member, andmeans fixedly interconnecting said disks concentrically with respect toeach other, said smaller pan-shaped member being nested within theconfines of said larger pan-shaped member.

2. An ice-anchor comprising a first disk of rigid metal having apredetermined diameter and provided with an inturned marginal edgeportion to define a larger panshaped member, a second disk of rigidmetal having a diameter less than said first disk and provided with aninturned marginal edge portion to define a smaller panshaped member,means fixedly interconnecting said disks concentrically with respect toeach other, said smaller panshaped member being nested within theconfines of said larger pan-shaped member, and guy-attaching meansaffixed upon the outer side of said larger pan-shaped memher.

3. An ice-anchor as set forth in claim 2, in which the last mentionedmeans coincides with the central transverse axis of said disks.

4. An ice-anchor as set forth in claim 2, in which the 4 mentionedpan-shaped members have an open area providing a passage into saidmembers for filling the same with water.

5. An ice-anchor as set forth in claim 2, in which the mentionedpan-shaped members have an open area providing a passage into saidmembers for filling the same with water, said passage being disposedcentrally of said members, and in which said members have venting holesand perforations to provide for the escape of air as Water fills thementioned inverted pan structure, said holes and perforations beingarranged in circles concentric with said open area.

6. An ice-anchor comprising a generally fiat outer element of rigidmetal, a generally fiat inner element of rigid metal, means fixedlyinterconnecting said elements in superimposed generally parallelrelation and with marginal regions of the outer element extending beyondmarginal regions of the inner element, and inturned edge portions atsaid marginal regions to provide each element with downwardly andinwardly projected ice-gripping means directed to engage an underlyingice surface, the inner element with its grippng means being nestedwithin the confines of the outer element with its gripping means.

' 7. An ice-anchor as set forth in claim 6, in which guyattaching meansis alfixed upon the outer side of the mentioned outer element.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS Re.8,132 Collender Mar. 19, 1878 1,138,186 Brach May 4, 1915 1,949,171Melind Feb. 27, 1934 3,032,149 Manghise May 1, 1960

1. AN ICE-ANCHOR COMPRISING A FIRST DISK OF RIGID METAL HAVING APREDETERMINED DIAMETER AND PROVIDED WITH AN INTURNED MARGINAL EDGEPORTION TO DEFINE A LARGER PANSHAPED MEMBER, A SECOND DISK OF RIGIDMETAL HAVING A DIAMETER LESS THAN SAID FIRST DISK AND PROVIDED WITH ANINTURNED MARGINAL EDGE PORTION TO DEFINE A SMALLER PANSHAPED MEMBER, ANDMEANS FIXEDLY INTERCONNECTING SAID DISKS CONCENTRICALLY WITH RESPECT TOEACH OTHER, SAID SMALLER PAN-SHAPED MEMBER BEING NESTED WITHIN THECONFINES OF SAID LARGER PAN-SHAPED MEMBER.